Kamehameha Day celebrated today and Saturday
Kayla Kepoo, left, and Kristine Krieg showed off the lei they were working on Thursday at Jefferson Elementary School for the Maui pa'u riders' horses in the King Kamehameha Day Floral Parade. The parade, which runs from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, begins at King and Richards streets and ends at Kapiolani Park. The parade's theme, "Wahine Holo Lio," honors the tradition of pa'u riding.
Lei draping ceremonies, parades and other festivitiess will honor King Kamehameha today and Saturday.
In Honolulu, the Kamehameha statue in front of Aliiolani Hale will be draped with lei beginning at 3:30 p.m. today. Placing long strands of flowers on the statues is a long-standing tradition.
On Saturday, the 95th annual King Kamehameha Celebration Floral Parade begins at 9 a.m. at King and Richards streets and ending at Kapiolani Park via Punchbowl Street, Ala Moana Boulevard, and Kalakaua Avenue. Free validated parking will be available at Restaurant Row. The parade’s theme, "Wahine Holo Lio," honors the tradition of pa’u riding.
Following the parade the King Kamehameha Celebration Hoolaulea will be held at Kapiolani Park from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m.
The weather in Waikiki Saturday should be mostly sunny for the parade, but there is a chance of isolated showers, National Weather Service forecasters said.
King Kamehameha united the Hawaiian islands and today is a state and county holiday.
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Other celebrations will take place on the neighbor islands.
A lei draping ceremony is scheduled in Hilo at the Kamehameha statue at 5 p.m. today. The Kamehameha Festival on Mokuola, aso known as Coconut Island, starts at 9 a.m. Saturday.
King Kamehameha ceremonies will also be held in North Kohala and Kailua Kona on Saturday. In North Kohala on Saturday, the lei draping begins at 8 a.m. at the Kamehameha statue on Akoni Pule Highway. The North Kohala Floral Parade begins at 9 a.m. at Kohala High School and a Hoolaulea follows at Kamehameha Park in Kapaau from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The King Kamehameha Day Community Parade will be held in Kailua Kona Saturday on Alii Drive. The parade runs from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. A Hoolaulea will be held at Swing Zone near the old airport starting at 10:30 a.m.
On Maui, the Na Kamehameha Commemorative Pa’u Parade will begin on Front Street in Lahaina on June 18 at 9:45 a.m. The Hoolaulea will take place at Kamehameha ‘Iki Park, which will open at 9 a.m.
On Kauai, the King Kamehameha Floral Parade in Lihue will start at Vidinha Stadium on Hoolako Street on June 18, at 10 a.m.
For more information on Kamehameha Day celebrations, visit the King Kamehameha Day Commission website at http://hawaii.gov/dags/kamehameha
